any good advice about towing a car

[ricelake922]

Hello. I have a 1996 Monaco Dynasty and I am going to be taking the RV to Florida and be a Snowbirds. I have never towed anything in my life. I am using a Master Tow Dolly which will tow my Chrysler Sebring convertible. Because I have not towed behind the RV does anyone have helpful advice as to lane changes...going through small towns...making left hand turns....annoying other drivers that want you to go faster..holding up traffic....coming into traffic from an on ramp to the highway. I am very apprehensive but am going to do this for the future of really enjoying the RV experience is the ability to do sightseeing with a car. Thank you in advance.

[maddawg46]

Just got back from towing a Pontiac Vibe for 2500 miles. Never towed a car behind a motorhome. First motre home. Had it a month and had the car hooked up on a Friday and left Monday!
Only problem I had was they were suppose to hook up a charge line. Newmar lays in the wires, but doesn't hook up the charge line. So they assumed it was hooked up. I used the car almost every day. But coming home we did not disconnect it much. In Nevada my car battery was dead. I had to leave the key on ACC to unlock the wheel. So for about 400 miles I had no brakes in my tow car. Make sure your charge line works.

[GPWayne]

I have toad Saturns for years. Never a problem. That said. I have used a few rattle stoppers on the receiver and found that most do not work that well.
The main reason is that most depend on the rattle stopper to take the load not the receiver itself. This does not work very long. The best and most effective hold the hitch down against bottom of the receiver just as the hitch down pressure does.

The reason for posting this is, when I towed a friends car on a tow dolly I found that any play in the hitch would allow the tow dolly to try to fish tail. The tail wagging the dog. (Not my dolly, so did not try to fix)

You may want to consider a rattle stopper when towing.

Google: StowAway-Tightener-Anti-Rattle-Stabilizer

[2gypsies1]

You have a diesel so use the big truck stops. They fill fast and no worries about 'will I fit'. You will.

If you're going to be in one place the whole time, do one last fill as close as you can to your stay and add a stabilizer.

[stew47]

I pushed a 35 ft Winnebago with a Sebring convertible for a couple years ago. Only two complaints I had was straps coming loose and not being able to back up. Lol just start planning for your next tow vehicle now and a blue ox tow bar. Me?.... I went with a fifth wheel cause I hated towing a car and I really miss a class a. We will see what a few years brings. Otherwise driving with it was no big deal. Keep an eye on car with back up camera.

[F1bNorm]

Some tow practices we use.
1. For me, a rear view camera is essential. Without it I can't see the towd at all.
2. I try to fill the MH while the towd is not attached. Our routine when leaving a campsite is for me to fuel the MH, my wife takes the car, picks up breakfast or groceries and we meet in a large flat parking area.
3. Unless absolutely sure you can make it, do not try doing u-turns!
Have a designated box or bag for all the straps, pins, locks etc. you need for hooking up. Include a check list and a pair of work gloves.
4. First few times, instead of a few miles before checking, I would check after a block or so. Give it a firm braking then check all the attachments, car and dolly.

Norm's 2 cents

[gbopp]

darsben1 wrote:

ricelake922 wrote:
Thank you to everyone for your responses. Very very helpful. I understand that there are numerous rest areas on the way to Florida from Ontario. Can a RV 40' towing a car stay overnight at the rest areas?

If you are coming down 81 the first rest area past Watertown exit 44 will hold you nicely in the truck area.
Your next opportunity for a rest area on 81 is about 30 miles north of Binghamton near Whitney point.
After that there is a brand new rest area at Halstead PA and a little further down the road at Gibson, PA is a FlyingJ. They will all hold your rig.

And, if you are traveling on I-81, you can overnight at the Mohegan Sun Casino just off the interstate near Scranton, PA..

[darsben1]

ricelake922 wrote:
Thank you to everyone for your responses. Very very helpful. I understand that there are numerous rest areas on the way to Florida from Ontario. Can a RV 40' towing a car stay overnight at the rest areas?

If you are coming down 81 the first rest area past Watertown exit 44 will hold you nicely in the truck area.
Your next opportunity for a rest area on 81 is about 30 miles north of Binghamton near Whitney point.
After that there is a brand new rest area at Halstead PA and a little further down the road at Gibson, PA is a FlyingJ. They will all hold your rig.

[obgraham]

For me, sharp right turns in cities are more difficult than lefts. You want to be sure not to cut the corner. Set up the mirrors and/or cameras so you can see the curb or edge of the road, and also the toad as you round the curve.

In most cases, 90 degree turns require more than one lane to complete.

[Hiker_01]

As stated several times above, I find my biggest challenge is when fueling. You have a large fuel tank which means you can be a bit pickier on where you fuel up. Before I start my trips, I identify potential fuel stops and use google maps satellite and street view to see if I will be able to maneuver at the pumps or pass it up. Also, I have sat and waited for an end pump to come open rather than try to jam my rig into an inside pump with less room.

[old_guy]

2chiefsRus is right about checking the tie down straps. it is a good idea to do so after 50 miles or so. You can always go to utube and type towing with MH and you will get a hundred different videos on how to do it

[2chiefsRus]

Because you are new to this, it would be a really good idea to stop at the first rest area you come to or about 50 to 100 miles from your first starting point and check the tie down straps just to be sure that they haven't loosened up on you.

[ricelake922]

Thank you to everyone for your responses. Very very helpful. I understand that there are numerous rest areas on the way to Florida from Ontario. Can a RV 40' towing a car stay overnight at the rest areas?

[J-Rooster]

Don't ever get in a hurry hooking or unhooking your vehicle be methodical! You can't control what other people are doing so drive the speed your comfortable at and leave your self plenty of room for maneuvering.

[2_Retired]

Completely agree with the suggestion for practice. The only way to get used to towing is to tow! Your car should follow directly behind your RV, so turns should be fine. I'm guessing you take your turns with your rv a little wider than with a car anyway. Always understand that you are now much longer than before. Don't ever assume someone will move over for you or give you room just because you need them to. Always signal your intentions and remember to be able to see any vehicle you pass well behind where you think they need to be before you go back into a right hand or left hand lane. Just be patient, let other drivers know where you need to go, and you'll be fine. We tow '4 down" (don't use a dolly) so we cannot back up when toad is attached. Wouldn't advise it even with a dolly. When pulling into a parking lot or gas station, be certain you have a direct path out because turning around in a limited space can be torture - if not down right impossible. We almost always use truck stops (Pilot, Flying J, Loves, etc) when we have our toad. They are built for RV's and maneuvering around is not a problem. You acceleration time will be greatly increased when you tow - you can't just 'hit it' and expect to move faster right away. Practice is the only real way you can get the right 'feel' for how your rig will handle/react with a toad. Enjoy, and be safe.